Parallel Currents
by Savannah O'Ryan
Summary: Life is about drifting apart and falling back together. It's about chasing dreams and making sacrifices. It's knowing when to come home and where that is. It's about keeping promises even when it's ten years later. It's about being a Wildcat at heart.
1. New Paths

**Parallel Currents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.**

**Chapter One-New Paths**

**August 28, 2008**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Troy Bolton bounced the basketball against the asphalt and took the shot. A steady one-man clap broke the silence as the ball went through the net and hit the ground again. Turning, he caught his father's wink and grinned back before retrieving the ball and walking across the grass to the driveway where his parents were standing beside Troy's battered pickup truck.

"Ready to go?" his dad asked, glancing towards the boxes and duffle bags piled in the flat of the truck. Troy chucked the basketball through the open window of the passenger side and nodded.

"No time like the present," he replied, but his dad caught the hesitancy in his son's voice.

"You'll call when you reach your aunt's in Arizona and again when you get to Stanford?" his mother reminded him as she hastily swiped a tear from her eye before it could fall. Her son laughed and hugged her.

"Definitely." Troy glanced towards the house again, trying to push the anxiety aside as he faced the reality of leaving. He was leaving for school a week early so that he could stop at Stanford and spend the weekend with Gabriella before backtracking to UCLA in time for freshmen registration. "You have Brie's number if you think I forgot or got lost."

"I left the Google directions on the seat in the truck," Jack informed him with a smirk although he knew it was unlikely for Troy to get lost on his third trip to California in the last two months.

"Then there's nothing left to do," Troy said with as much assurance as possible.

Hugging his parents and climbing into the truck, he yelled goodbye again as he pulled out of the driveway. Smiling as he listened to the truck's soft hum now that the fuel pump was fixed, Troy made a left onto the main road and another right onto the highway. Reaching for his phone, he quickly punched the letters on the keypad and hit send.

Sixteen hours and one thousand miles away, Gabriella Montez grabbed her vibrating cell phone before her professor noticed. Still watching the front board where the instructor was writing out the philosophy readings for the weekend, Gabriella hit a button and read the text message from Troy.

'_On my way. -T'_

* * *

**August 30, 2008**

**Tweed-New Haven Airport, New Haven, Connecticut**

Taylor McKessie walked through the airport with her head held high as her heels clicked across the polished floor and her carry-on luggage bounced on its wheels behind her. Hitching her purse higher on her shoulder, she scanned the signs overhead that would direct her to the baggage claim area. Her face held the look of determination that her friends would have recognized and she silently thanked Sharpay for encouragement to wear the black stilettos on her feet. The extra height and grown-up posture ensured that Taylor held her fear at bay while she manoeuvred through the terminal.

In her mind, Taylor ran through the itinerary she had checked and double checked and triple checked before boarding the plane in Albuquerque that morning, telling herself she had forty-five minutes to get her three suitcases and get to the shuttle to Yale. The cell phone in her pocket chirped and she pulled it out to see that she had missed a text while still in the air.

'_Troy got here last night, call us when you get settled. –G'_

Taylor grinned and felt her heartbeat slow a little, knowing that Gabriella and Troy were also experiencing the overwhelming event of starting school thousands of miles away from home. The nerves picked up again when she reminded herself that Troy and Gabriella were only a few towns apart from each other while Chad and she would be at the opposite end of the country. Not being able to resist, Taylor punched the number two on her phone and held it to her ear.

"Tell me I can do this," Taylor blurted out before her boyfriend could even greet her from the other end. "Tell me this is a good thing."

"We can do this," Chad Danforth repeated for what he was sure had to be the hundredth time since that morning when Taylor had said goodbye at the airport. Some of those times it had been to calm her down, other times he had whispered it to himself.

"Okay. You're right," Taylor said as if she hadn't told him what to say. "I have to catch the shuttle. I'll call when I get to my room."

"Alright. Be careful." They hung up and Chad shook his head at the thought that Taylor McKessie was unsure and nervous for the first time in her life.

But they could do this.

* * *

**September 4, 2008**

**Julliard School of Arts, New York City, New York**

Kelsi Nielsen clenched and unclenched her hands around the strap of her backpack as she waited on the front steps of Julliard's main building. Students and performers brushed past her as they hurried up the stone steps. Glancing at her watch, Kelsi sighed and looked around for the familiar blonde hair before realizing it would probably be concealed by a hat. A hand on her elbow startled her.

"Looking for someone?" Ryan Evans joked as she gave him a small smile.

"I can't believe we're about to do this," she told him, heading up the step as he followed.

"You said that last night when I helped you move into your dorm," Ryan reminded her as he kept his eyes on the room numbers so they wouldn't miss their room.

"At least we have each other. I can't imagine being Taylor and having no one around." Kelsi almost slammed into Ryan's back as he turned sharply into the room they had been searching for.

"It's Taylor, Kelsi. She'll have her entire floor organized and color-coded into study groups by the end of the week. Besides, as much as I love my sister, this time it's you and me and no sparkles to hide behind."

Kelsi grinned at her friend and made the decision to let nothing stand in her way.

* * *

**September 5, 2008**

**University of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Chad Danforth stopped in the middle of the stairs that led to the third floor of the commerce building. He could have sworn someone was yelling his name, but with all the people around him it was difficult to know for sure. Maybe the person wanted someone named Tad. Or Dad.

"Danforth!" Well that ruled that out, he thought. Turning he tried to pick out a familiar face in the crowd before his eyes fell on blonde hair that Chad just knew was working its way towards him. Sighing, he took a few steps backwards and reached down to haul Sharpay Evans up beside him.

"Evans," he replied with a slight nod, pushing his way up the steps while she followed in the wake he cleared.

"I talked to Zeke and he said that you had decided to try business and commerce and even though I'm doing theatre, I'm taking the first year finance class as an elective and I thought maybe we were in the same class." Sharpay felt herself become irritated at the look of shock on Danforth's face.

"You were hoping we were in the same class?" Chad repeated as if he hadn't heard right.

"Well, yeah," she replied slightly annoyed, "you know all that 'Wildcats stick together' crap we yelled at the barbeque before Troy left? I thought we could try that. Since it's just you and me." Her face was blank as she watched Chad process her comment.

"Alright then, Princess. Let's go wow the freshmen class with your sparkles and my talent," Chad told her, holding the door open as she breezed through. He noticed that her moment of vulnerability had passed and chuckled to himself.

"Great," she announced, "now I need a seat that's not near the front but not so far back that no one notices me. Like, maybe," Sharpay paused just inside the door and let her eyes bounce across each desk in the room until she found the perfect one and pointed, "that one. Can you get that guy to move for me?"

Chad opened his mouth to give his opinion on her request before remembering that his best friends were scattered across the country and his girlfriend would not be able to protect him from Sharpay's glittering wrath until Thanksgiving. With that thought in mind, Chad politely inquired if the nervous boy with glasses could choose a different seat.


	2. Impact Points

**Parallel Currents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.**

**Chapter Two-Impact Point**

**November 10, 2008**

**Red Hawk Turf, University of Albuquerque, NM**

Chad Danforth, Red Hawk rookie of the year competitor, smirked at the gold clad player to his right as the referee blew the whistle. Shouts and cheers could be heard throughout the gymnasium as the fans urged on their home team. Glancing slightly to his left, Chad could make out the small group of blue and gold fans that looked guilty every time they caught his eye. He winked at the dark-haired girl standing next to Jack Bolton before looking back at Troy who took three steps towards Chad before passing the ball to one of his own players.

UCLA was playing U of A and they were losing by nine points. Without looking, Chad knew the clock had only seconds left as he watched Troy take the ball back and attempt a shot. The ball swished through the net just as the buzzer rang but it wasn't enough for Troy's team to win. Cheers erupted in the gym as the Red Hawk fans flooded the floor. Chad felt his team mates slap him on the back and turned at the sound of heels pounding the floor.

"Congrats," Sharpay told him, holding out her phone, "Taylor wants to talk to you; says she was watching the live feed through the internet."

Chad took the phone and tried to find a quiet corner to hear his girlfriend's voice above the yelling. He could see Gabriella and Sharpay talking in front of the bleachers while Jason Cross and Jack argued over something most likely related to the East High basketball team that Jason helped coach when he wasn't working on one of the city's construction sites. Chad could have sworn he heard Jimmie Zara too…

"Hey, Babe," he said into the phone.

"Good game! How'd it feel to play against Troy?" Taylor asked.

"A little weird," he admitted, "but we didn't hold back on each other and we were always competitive anyway." Chad shrugged his shoulders as he sees that his team is heading into the locker room. "Coach wants a meeting so I have to go. I'll call you tonight. Troy and Gabs are coming over so we will all call at the same time."

"Sounds good," Taylor responded, yawning. "I'll be up all night trying to figure out this assignment that's due just before Thanksgiving. Talk to you then."

"Yup." Hanging up, Chad considered the fact that only thing wrong with the game was that she wasn't there.

* * *

**April 14, 2009**

**UCLA-Berkeley, California**

Troy sprinted out of the gymnasium where he had just completed his final exam of his freshman year and performed a victory dance in the empty corridor. There was just something wrong with writing an exam in the same room he played basketball in. Shoving his two pens and a pencil into his back pocket, he whipped out the cell phone he had managed to sneak into the room and turned its ringer on. He had one missed text message from Chad.

'_Evans and I just finished. One more tomorrow and then we're both done. See you when you and Gabs get home. –C'_

Of all the remarkable events that had happened since September, the fact that Chad and Sharpay were hanging out made Troy edgy. Gabriella and Sharpay talking on the phone? Normal. Troy and Taylor talking? Normal. Ryan and Kelsi dating? Normal. Sharpay and Chad being friends? Not so much. Troy shrugged to himself as he glanced at his watch and tried to remember what time Gabriella had estimated she would be arriving.

A friend of hers lived two hours south and offered to drive her as far as UCLA instead of Troy driving up to Stanford and then back south to catch the highway to New Mexico. They, along with Taylor who had flown out from Connecticut the day before, were heading home for the summer while Kelsi and Ryan were staying in New York to put together a workshop program as extra credits. Zeke had left Marseilles (where he had been determined to learn everything about French cuisine) and was now residing in Madrid which meant it would most likely be Christmas before anyone saw him again. Troy was trying to remember who else would be home for the next few months when his phone rang.

"I'm in your dorm but you are not," Gabriella taunted through the phone, "and I have all this stuff to be carried and hauled to your bucket of crap we call a truck."

"Hey," Troy exclaimed, "don't mock our transportation!"

"Are you sure it will survive the trip home? Your dad didn't seem so confident last night on the phone." Troy knew she was kidding but there remained a strip of truth in her statement.

"It will survive. Chad wants to say good-bye to it before it goes to the scrap yard in the sky. Dad said he would help us buy a new one since it's cheaper for us to drive back and forth than to fly."

"Fabulous," she replied and Troy rolled his eyes at how big the phone bill between Gabriella and Sharpay must be, "now hurry up. I want to go home!"

Troy grinned and hung up, thinking of the Wildcat reunion.

* * *

**October 10, 2009**

**Stanford University, California**

Gabriella fumbled in the dark to find the ringing phone on her bedside table. Behind her, his arm tightly draped across her waist and not helping the situation any, Troy groaned and pulled the blankets higher. Sighing, Gabriella knocked her alarm clock to the floor before finding her cell phone and blinking away blurry vision before reading the caller ID.

"Who the fuck is it?" Troy grumbled, pulling away and rolling over so that he faced the wall of Gabriella's single dorm room.

"Kelsi," Gabriella responded before answering the phone.

"I did it," came the wobbly voice from the other end as Gabriella fought to shrug off the remaining bits of sleep. Her clock read just after 7 o'clock in the morning. "I broke up with him. I took your advice and told him how I felt and we broke up."

"And?" Gabriella asked, knowing there were very few sentences she would be able to get out this early in the morning.

"He didn't take it very well. I don't understand how he didn't see it coming; even you and Taylor mentioned it when we were home for those two weeks in August. Things were off then. It had just become a routine." It still surprised Gabriella that the shy girl she had been friends with in high school had morphed into this self assured young woman she was talking to.

"You had said that. I'm glad you made a decision. A long as you're-" Gabriella frowned at the call waiting beep and pulled away for a moment, "one second Kels." Reaching across the small table again, she found Troy's phone and punched in a number before shoving it to her boyfriend's ear.

"What the-?" Troy growled as he heard his phone ringing.

"Talk to Ryan. Kelsi just dumped him," Gabriella ordered before returning to Kelsi on her end of the conversation.

"And she had to do it at 10 o'clock in the morning? What is wrong with people?" he grumbled under his breath before switching modes and answering Ryan with a chirpy "Hey Evans, what's up?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and listened as Kelsi ranted.

* * *

**January 29, 2010**

**Yale University, Connecticut**

Taylor bit her lip and tried to breathe, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall. In an effort to help her relax and feel in control of all the work she had to do before midterms began in two weeks, she had went through and marked all the important dates in her planner. The problem was that looking at it now, it just appeared even more overwhelming than before. She had an assignment or test or presentation almost everyday, along with the study sessions she had signed up for to gain extra credit. She hadn't minded it so much in her freshman year because it kept her busy and her mind off Chad and the rest of their friends being so far away, but this year things just seemed so much more hectic.

Sighing she ran her hands over her face and tried to think. Nothing was helping. Looking at the clock she tried to remember the last time she had talked to Gabriella for more than five minutes or Kelsi on the phone instead of through email. She had only spoken to Chad twice in the last week and once was when he was drunk at a Red Hawk celebration party for making the play offs. If she called now, she may be able to catch him in between practice and class.

Quickly dialing his cell number, Taylor tapped her fingers impatiently as it rang once, twice and then a third time before he answered. He sounded slightly out of breath.

"Hey, I was hoping you had a few minutes," Taylor exclaimed, feeling herself relax the moment he said her name.

"I have a couple," he quipped and she could hear a basketball bounce near the phone, letting her know he probably had his feet propped up with the chair tipped back. "I got permission to skip practice tonight to finish a World Finance assignment."

"You're skipping basketball to do homework?" Taylor asked, incredulous. It had happened before but only when Chad's GPA had dropped enough to threaten his scholarship and then he would call Taylor or Gabriella, begging for help so he could get it back up in time for a game.

"Yeah, I'm swamped. Literally drowning. This project is worth a ton so I thought I should just get it done instead of waiting until next week when I don't have time to get help if I need it. Sharpay started hers and said it was tough." Taylor smiled at how close Chad and Sharpay had become in the last two years.

While Chad had stuck to his decision to major in business and commerce, Sharpay simply dabbled in the business courses that interested her when she had an elective option in the theatre program. She was entertaining the idea of opening her own performing arts studio when she graduated but had no definite plans. Taylor hadn't talked to her since Christmas.

"How is Sharpay? Last I heard Gabriella had been on the phone all night with her while she freaked out about playing Juliet opposite the hottest guy in the world." Taylor moved around her room, tidying, as she and Chad discussed Sharpay's love life for a few minutes before Chad finally got annoyed and got to the point.

"You didn't call at dinner time when you knew I had practice to discuss Sharpay Evans. What's up, Tay?" Taylor was quiet for a moment, biting her lip while she thought.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore," she whispered, the tears threatening again. "I have so much work that I don't have time to schedule food or sleep. I hardly see any living person unless they are in one of my classes or a study group. I never have time to call my friends or talk to you and the worst part is," Taylor trailed off, afraid to say anything.

"The worst is what, Taylor? What is it?" Chad prodded gently. He knew she was having a hard time. She was so used to being in control and knowing what she wanted that he feared her being so far away would mean that she would stick it out just to prove people wrong.

"I don't think I like my program. I've spent two years studying political science and journalism, and yet I think I hate it. Each time someone asks me what I want to do after graduation, I tell them I'm undecided but deep down, I tell myself anything but this. God, Chad, what am I supposed to do?" Chad could hear her cry over the phone and wished that he could shrink the miles between them.

"Babe, you don't have to stick with the program. No one expects you to do something you have learned you don't like. Experiment. Find something you do like. Gabriella switched from pre-law to chemistry and mathematics. That's what the big wide world is for. You have time to figure it out."

"You're right. Thank you," she said quietly. "I wish you were here. I wish I was back home and it was still Christmas."

"You have a break in February. You should visit Kelsi and Ryan. I can't come up because of basketball but I'm sure they would love to see you." Chad glanced at his homework and wished she was in a better mood because he needed some serious help, but now wasn't the time.

"I'll think about it. You should get back to work."

"I will. Love you."

"You too."

Hanging up, Taylor pulled open a drawer and rummaged around until she found the program guide for Yale. Flipping to the index, she scrolled her finger down the list until her finger landed on the department number for the Faculty of Medicine. Dialing the number she left a message for someone to call her back with how to transfer undergraduate programs from political science to pre-med and still graduate in two years.

Setting the phone down, Taylor grinned and went back to work.

* * *

**March 30, 2010**

**East High, Albuquerque, NM**

Sharpay Evans slumped in the red cushioned seat of the auditorium at East High as she tried to drown out the sound of the latest batch of students who were auditioning for the winter musicale of West Side Story. No matter how she phrased her comments, each term the same deaf-tone, uncoordinated, screeching students appeared on stage for another chance. Sharpay had given in an hour ago and moved to the back of the room while Miss Darbus conducted the rest.

The auditions were a formality that Miss Darbus religiously offered each time a musicale was introduced in the hopes that she would once again find some diversity in the school that had come three years ago in the form of Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton. Since Sharpay and her class had graduated, the East High drama department was once again ruled each year by an upperclassman who were too talented for their own good. Sharpay wished she could find someone to teach them the lesson she had learned.

As if on cue, Sharpay's phone vibrated, letting her know that someone cared enough to save her. Glancing up and seeing that the drama teacher was currently occupied, Sharpay slowly and quietly left the auditorium. Opening her phone in the hallway, she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Thank God, you saved me," she told Gabriella.

"They're that bad?" the other girl asked, laughing nervously. Sharpay caught onto her act though.

"What's wrong?" There was a deep intake of breath on the other end.

"I might have a problem. Actually, we both do but Troy doesn't know it yet."

"_We_ as in you and him? Or _we_ as in you and me?" Sharpay twirled a strand of hair around her finger and wondered if she was getting too old for platinum blonde before shrugging it off and focusing.

"I…uhhh….haven't had my…you know….since….uhhh….January…," Gabriella held her breath.

"You're pregnant?" Sharpay hissed into the phone.

"I don't know. I might be. I mean I skipped my uhhh….you know…in February too and we hadn't done _that_ since Christmas but it's just weird, you know…" Sharpay rolled her eyes at how uncomfortable Gabriella sounded. As if they're entire group of friends didn't know what her and Troy did every other weekend when he drove up to Stanford.

"Did you take a test? Why are you calling me anyway? Wouldn't this be easier to talk to Taylor about?" Sharpay walked further down the hallway and away from the doors where nosey ears could eavesdrop.

"Taylor is freaking about Chad being benched by U of A after that stunt he and Troy pulled the last time we were home. They're threatening to take away his scholarship although I don't understand why since it was Troy who stole the stupid stuffed bird in the first place and Chad was just trying to put it back before he got caught. Anyway, the point is I don't want to add to her problems. Plus, she will tell Chad who will tell Troy who I don't want to know yet." Sharpay saw a chance to cut in when Gabriella took a breath.

"Look, Gabs, you're home the day after tomorrow for the Easter weekend. I'll buy you a test and we'll take it while you're here. How does that sound?" Sharpay sighed warily. Being supportive could be exhausting.

"Really? Thanks, Shar. You're the best and I totally owe you." Sharpay perked up at those words.

"Yes, you do. Starting with helping me suffer through these auditions on Thursday when you get here." Laughing, she hung up the phone.

If she was going to help her friend pee on a stick, that friend could help her convince Jimmie Zara's little brother that his singing capabilities were not needed at East High.

* * *

**April 3, 2010**

**Juilliard, New York City, NY**

Kelsi paced the floor of her dorm while holding the phone to her ear. To her left, leaning against the door, stood Ryan who would come out of his daydreams every few minutes and raise an eyebrow to which Kelsi would shake her head and roll her eyes. She could hear the conversation taking place on the other end of the phone although she wondered if Sharpay and Gabriella were aware of that fact. She thought she heard Chad at one point but someone told him to chill out and go call his girlfriend.

"Sharpay I don't understand what's taking so long. I mean, it's been like five minutes," Troy pointed out. Gabriella had called Kelsi that morning freaking out after Sharpay had said the 'P' word just as Troy was entering the room.

"She's peeing on a stick, Troy, while you stand out here pacing. I doubt that makes it any easier." Kelsi heard Sharpay's heels as she crossed the room and called to Gabriella through the door.

"Gabs? It's supposed to turn blue. Is it blue?"

"Not yet."

"Well, how much longer?"

"Troy, shut up!"

"Well, you're freaking me out!"

"I'm freaking you out? You? What about me? Shar, how long does this thing take?"

"Like five minutes. How long has it been?"

"Almost nine?"

"What does that mean?"

"Troy, chill. Gabs, did you pee on it right?"

"Yes, Sharpay. I peed properly. It's not blue, it's pink. What does pink mean?"

"Pink's good. Pink means no."

"It's a no?"

"She's not pregnant? Brie, you're not pregnant?"

"God, Troy, what are you on?"

"But pink is good. Pink is what we want."

"I told you pink was a good color," Kelsi hears Sharpay tell Troy before she hangs up and turns to Ryan.

"False alarm," she relays and Ryan lets go of the breath he was holding.

* * *

**June 9, 2010**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Chad rubs his neck nervously as he holds the envelope in his hand. He glances into the mirror above Taylor's vanity at her mom's house and winces as he takes in the red and white of the University of New Mexico. He turns as Taylor emerges from the bathroom connected to her room, towel drying her hair. His gaze lingers over her black Bermuda shorts and dark blue tank top. A smile tugs her lips as he watches.

"What's up? I thought we had plans later tonight." She crosses to the table and Chad moves aside so she can apply sunscreen to her face and shoulders, testifying that she has plans with Gabriella and Sharpay to hit the pool.

"I got something in the mail today that we need to talk about," he tells her, sitting on the edge of the bed while she watches him.

"Okay," she draws out the word, raising an eyebrow and reaching for her sunglasses which she tucks into her hair on top of her head.

"I did something in January, and I didn't want to tell you in case it didn't work out. Tay, I applied to Yale for this coming September." Chad watches her face and sees her eyes widen in shock. "I got in."

"You got in to Yale? Chad, that's awesome, but what about U of A?" Taylor frowns at the thought of his giving up his dream school and dream team to cross the country for her. He sighs and runs a hand through his mop of hair.

"With the rookies from last year and that new kid they recruited from San Diego for this year, I'm losing time on the court. I talked to the coach at Yale and they are willing to match my scholarship from U of A plus they can guarantee more time. My marks are decent thanks to you and Gabriella getting on my case and Sharpay bailing my ass out every now and then, so they also agreed to add enough money to pay living expenses." Chad watched Taylor process the information. "Tay, this is what I want. If it's what you want."

"Of course it's what I want, but I don't want you give up your dreams for me."

"After two years of university, I finally learned what Troy tried to tell me when he picked UCLA. Dreams can change with you; it doesn't mean you're giving them up."

"Then I guess I need to call the landlord of the apartment I plan on renting and tell him I won't be needing a roommate."

"Damn straight," Chad said with a grin.

* * *

**September 24, 2010**

**Juilliard, New York City, NY**

Ryan glanced around the auditorium in front of him. It had taken awhile to stop expecting Sharpay to jump out of one of the dressing rooms and demand for him to change their routine and eliminate the jazz squares, but Ryan had finally come to see Juilliard as his sanctuary. His eyes fell on the black, glossy piano and he sighed.

Despite he and Kelsi's tumultuous relationship of on again, off again and friends in between, she had been a constant that had made the separation from his twin and comfort zone that much easier.

And now she was in London with an internship with the London theatre.

She had called last night, knowing that he would be preparing for the fall workshop that he required for his final year in the choreography program. It seemed off though, that after seven years of working together, Ryan was finally losing the one person who could compose exactly what he wanted by watching five dance steps.

For the first time in years, Ryan Evans was officially on his own.

* * *

**December 18, 2010**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Sharpay slammed the pink box onto the countertop with a growl while Taylor looked at her sheepishly. Pulling out the white stick and the directions, Taylor avoided Sharpay's glare.

"Don't bother reading those. This is the same one Gabs used. Pee on the white part, wait for five minutes and hope it turns pink. Unless you're leaning towards blue?" Taylor let a tear fall down her cheek as she remembered the early acceptance letter in her desk back at Yale. Taylor had one semester left at Yale and then she would transfer to New York University's medical program. Chad would stay behind and finish enough credits over the summer to graduate in October and then he would join her in New York.

"No, we want pink. It has to be pink. I need it to be pink."

"What you and Gabs both need is condoms. What is wrong with you two? You and your boys are like bunnies."

"Shar?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you think Chad would react to blue?" Sharpay looked at Taylor sharply and then down at the stick shaking in her hand.

"You're about to get the chance to find out."

* * *

**January 1, 2011**

**12:05am**

**Snowsdale Rivine, Colorado**

Gabriella was staring at her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Marry me."

So, she had heard right. He was proposing. Troy was proposing to her in the exact spot they first met. It was so cheesy and like him that she had to laugh. It bubbled up inside her and spilled out until she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Do you remember what the DJ said that night? He said we would thank him later and all I wanted to do was kill him for putting me on the spot with this hot guy I didn't know who was singing like he was on stage all the time." Gabriella didn't finish because Troy finally caught on to the irony and was laughing with her.

"I felt like such an idiot. And then you almost fell of the stage trying to get away from me." They both fell into laughing again until they finally paused for breath. "So you'll marry me?"

"Did you really think I would say no? You didn't need to go through all this trouble."

"Sharpay's going to want details. I'm allowing for details."

"Taylor is going to cry," Gabriella realized.

"Taylor cries all the time these days."

"It could have been us."

"Yeah, except Sharpay bought us that giant box of pink condoms."

"We'll all be okay, right?"

"Yeah. We stick together." Troy tried to sound confident when he said it.

* * *

**August 15, 2011**

**Grace Memorial Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut**

Chad has called his parents and Taylor's mom. He has called Jack and Lucille Bolton and Troy and Gabriella. Gabriella had agreed to call Ryan who may know where to contact Kelsi although no one has actually heard from her in five months. Her parents insist she is still alive, just busy. Troy would call Jason and Zeke's parents. The last time anyone got an email from him, he was living in Japan after three months in India.

But someone has to call Sharpay and Chad knows it should be him. He told her when they left Albuquerque in April that he would call her when the baby was born because, oddly enough to those who knew their past, Sharpay and Chad had become almost as close as Gabriella and Chad. Or Taylor and Troy. Yet, Chad hasn't actually spoken to Sharpay since the day after his promise when she told him he was ruining his life and Taylor's life by keeping the baby. She had tried to talk sense into him and he in turn had shot back comments he later regretted.

Bitter, alone, resentful. She was none of those things but he had flung them at her while she told him to go to hell.

Her voice mail picked up just like it did all those times he had called to make peace or Taylor had called to talk. She ignored them. Troy said that when he and Gabriella went home, Sharpay would avoid any conversation that involved Danforth and McKessie as she was back to calling them.

"Hey Sharpay. It's Chad. I thought you would want to know that Taylor had a boy. All eight pounds, six ounces of him looks like Tay. We named him Austen. I'm sure Taylor told you all the details and you can get a kick out of the link between his name and his existence. Sorry, I missed you. Call me when you get the chance."

Chad hung up the phone and walked back into the room where Taylor was nursing their beautiful baby boy.

"She didn't answer?" Taylor asked softly, knowing from the look on Chad's face that Sharpay didn't.

"She's probably busy. Time difference and all."

Chad and Taylor know the difference though.

Staying together as Wildcats is getting harder.

* * *

**March 7, 2012**

**UCLA-Berkeley, California**

Troy swore under his breath as he tried to balance his basketball and books in one arm while wrestling with the key to his dorm room with the other. Hearing the lock click, he pushed the door open and dumped his homework and mail on the desk before throwing the ball and his jacket on the bed. Hearing his phone ring, he dug it out of his pocket and hit the button.

"Hey you," he said, hearing Gabriella laugh on the other line.

"Hey. You're not busy are you? I called a few minutes ago but you didn't answer and the voice mail didn't pick up." Troy had heard the phone while in the hallway but his hands had been otherwise occupied.

"No, I just got in. I stopped by the library on my way back from practice and then I grabbed my mail," Troy explained, sifting through the envelopes and junk mail he had gathered.

"Anything good? Yesterday I got a 50% off coupon for pole dancing classes."

"That's great, Brie. Just wonderful. I have the usual. VISA bill, tuition reminder to register to graduate, phone bill which we know is obscene and an envelope from-" Troy stopped mid-sentence as he read the return address before tearing the seal open.

"From who, Troy?" Gabriella could tell something had surprised him by the way he had completely spaced out.

"It's an invitation to the pre-season training camp that the Lakers hosts before open tryouts start. Brie it's from the fucking Lakers," Troy could barely register the words coming out of his mouth.

"That's awesome! You need to call Chad and your Dad."

"I will. Did you figure out your graduation date yet?" Troy and Gabriella, along with Chad up at Yale and Sharpay in Albuquerque, would all graduate in the coming May.

"It's the day after yours so that will work. We'll leave yours and drive up here and then head home the next day. Or not depending on the Lakers thing. Call Chad now, he should be home, and then call whoever can give you more info. I'll be home later." Gabriella could tell Troy was anxious to get his Dad on the phone.

"Yeah. Love you."

Hanging up, Troy punched the number to his dad's office phone at East High where the gang had graduated four years ago. He couldn't believe how things had fallen into place.


	3. Frayed Links

**Parallel Currents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.**

**Chapter Three-Frayed Links**

**June 29, 2013**

**New York City, NY**

Chad looked around the small kitchen of the apartment and scanned every space that could possibly be hiding something needed for their trip. He could hear Taylor in the bedroom down the hall getting 2-year-old Austen dressed before packing the rest of his gear in the carry-on bags for the plane to Albuquerque. Checking his pockets for his wallet and their tickets, he then took the last of the bags to the door.

"Tay? Don't forget the bag in the bathroom. It should fit inside the suitcase on the bed."

"Did you grab my dress and your tux out of the hall closet? And the bag off of the table?" Taylor called and Chad heard a zipper before a thud followed.

"Everything is here. I checked the list. Is Austen ready? I can throw him in the car seat," Chad yelled back as he made his way down the hall. Taylor met him at the bedroom door and handed him the baby who snuggled sleepily into his chest.

"Don't throw him anywhere, Babe. When you're done, can you come back and get this suitcase? I'll call the taxi company." Chad almost laughed as she ran a hand through her perfectly coiled curls and double checked the bedroom as he had done the kitchen. "I think we got everything."

"Troy said to call when we land in Albuquerque and someone will meet us there." Chad was trying not to focus on the ten hour flight from JFK airport to New Mexico, which included two stopovers, with a baby. It was bound to be the trip from hell. "Remind me again why we are flying in a whole week before their wedding?"

"Because they need help. Troy and Gabriella only got back from LA last week and Sharpay is ready to strangle both of them for trying to organize a wedding from a thousand miles away. We are being good friends." Taylor grabbed two suitcases and the dress bag containing her dress and Chad's tux while Chad threw the strap of a carry-on bag and Taylor's laptop over his shoulder and grabbed Austen's carseat.

"Mr. Basketball-Superstar, himself," Chad muttered with a grin as they made their way to the sidewalk where the taxi waited.

"You're one to talk Mr. New-York-Knicks-Camp-Invited-Superstar," Taylor mocked. Chad had received his open tryouts letter in the mail after his coach at Yale pulled some strings after learning that Chad had gone back to school in New York just so he had a reason to play ball for his last year of eligibility. Taylor laughed at the giant grin that split his face as her fiancée jogged back into the apartment to retrieve the rest of their bags.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled away from the curb and headed to the airport.

* * *

**July 2, 2013**

**London, England**

Kelsi ran her fingers over the ebony and ivory keys of her piano that sat in her personal studio. After finishing the one year exchange internship offered by Juilliard, Kelsi had returned to New York only to graduate before flying back to London to start her job as a composer and concert pianist with the London theatre. She had spoken to Ryan only once during the two weeks she spent in the States and had sent only one email since that he had yet to respond to.

Letting her thoughts guide her fingers, she played the first few bars of 'Music in Me'. She had never actually finished the piece, but every time she thought of her friends back home it was the song that came to mind. Next to the blank sheet music she had been working on, sat the ivory envelope containing Troy and Gabriella's wedding invitation. The ceremony was only days away and Kelsi wondered for the hundredth time if she had made the right choice in declining her attendance.

Gabriella had called her a week after the RSVP card had arrived in her apartment in LA. She had tried to bribe, convince and cajole Kelsi into coming but she had stood her ground. She wasn't ready to return home and face the people that her head remained the same as they had been at East High. Kelsi hadn't even known about Taylor and Chad having a child until that call from Gabriella.

The East High Wildcats were an ocean away from London and Kelsi.

* * *

**July 4, 2013**

**San Francisco, California**

Ryan smoothed his fingers across the fold of the envelope and flipped it over. In his signature capitals-only script, he wrote out the address of Jack and Lucille Bolton that he had gotten from Sharpay the day before. Sliding his hand to the upper right corner, he added the address of his townhouse in downtown San Francisco where he had been working at a small studio since January. Licking the back of a stamp and placing it in the indicated spot, Ryan slid the envelope containing his card and wedding gift for Troy and Gabriella across his counter to be mailed in the morning.

Glancing at the calendar on his fridge, he noted the red circle around tomorrow's date and the red letters inside that read 'T&G WD'. He had hoped to be at the ceremony tomorrow but the Showcase festival at the studio started today and if all went well, Ryan Evans would move from child jazz instructor to something slightly more professional. On cue, his phone rang and he leaned across the counter to answer it.

"Ryan?"

"Yeah, Gabs?"

"Are you really not coming tomorrow?" Gabriella sounded slightly desperate and Ryan wondered again why she had asked his sister of all people to help plan the wedding.

"I can't. We've talked about this. I would love to be there but I need this. The showcase could be my ticket to anywhere I want." Ryan ran a hand over his face and tried not to feel guilty about his own selfish desires.

"I know. And you deserve it. It's just Troy is freaking out because the jewelers mixed up the rings and Sharpay is yelling at some poor high school student who works at the florist shop because the flowers are half dead and Taylor is trying to write an online exam for school and Jason called to say he won't make it in tonight because he is still in Houston due to some accident." Gabriella took a breath and Ryan tried not to laugh.

"Calm down. Everything will work out and East High's fairy tale couple will get their happy ending. Shar will send me pictures and hopefully I will see you guys the next time Troy is in San Francisco." Ryan glanced at the clock and decided he needed to get going.

"You're right. We can do this. Thanks, Ry. I'll talk to you later."

"No problem. Have fun tomorrow. Tell Shar to relax." They said goodbye and he hung up the phone, shaking his head at how much some people had changed in five years and others had stayed the same.

* * *

**July 5, 2013**

**2:24pm**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Sharpay tucked a stray piece of hair into a spare bobby-pin and smoothed back the bangs that angled across her forehead. Spinning the clasp of her necklace to the back of her neck where it couldn't be seen, she checked her nails for any chips before turning away from the mirror and smoothing an imaginary wrinkle out of her emerald green dress.

Exiting the bathroom, she watched quietly from the doorway as Taylor pulled and tugged Gabriella's veil into place while the bride watched the oval mirror in front of her with widen eyes. Her hands twisted the diamond engagement ring around her finger.

"Breathe, Gabs," Sharpay told her, pushing away from the doorway. "Any paler and your cheeks will look like I drew your blush on with lipstick."

Gabriella laughed nervously as her eyes watched Sharpay from the mirror. Sharpay grinned as Taylor stepped back with a satisfied nod. Grabbing the bouquets from the table, Sharpay handed one to Taylor and one to Gabriella while keeping one for herself.

"You shouldn't be nervous. You're marrying Troy Bolton. The love of your life. Rookie of the year for the NBA. Face of athletic equipment and cereal commercials everywhere," Sharpay assured her friend, mentioning the contracts and deals Troy had signed in the last year once companies realized his marketing value. "Today is your day."

"This is why I told you to pick her for your Maid of Honor," Taylor added with a smile. It had been a war between the three of them six months ago when Taylor had told Gabriella that Sharpay deserved the title since she was the one closer and more able to help. Plus, in the last two years since Austen's birth and medical school had grounded her and Chad in New York, Sharpay had been the one Gabriella had turned to when things got confusing.

Gabriella smiled awkwardly and pouted as Sharpay ran a new coat of lipgloss over her lips.

"Let's do this."

* * *

**July 5, 2013**

**2:30pm**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Troy rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles as Chad elbowed him. They were standing at the altar with Jason, who had finally arrived, next to Chad as they waited for the doors at the end of the aisle to open and signal the start of the rest of his life.

"Man, stop with the elbowing," Troy hissed under his breath.

"Just making sure you weren't going to pass out. You look like you're analyzing the enemy team and not getting married."

"I'm fine."

"Good."

Another minute passed and Troy felt another nudge.

"What, Chad?"

"What team?" Chad whispered loudly and Troy grinned with Jason.

"Wildcats."

"Getcha head in the game," Chad shot back as the organist hit the first key and the carved doors revealed Taylor in an emerald green dress that hit just past her knees.

"Game on."

* * *

**July 11, 2013**

**Shanghai, China**

Zeke Baylor closed the webpage on the ways to steam Chinese rice and double clicked his mouse on his email icon. Skimming through the junk mail and the reminder from the Chinese government that his visa was due to run out at the end of the month, the 23-year-old chef opened the message from his dad's law office address and read the brief message.

'_Your mother found this while reading the paper last night. We thought you may like to see it if you didn't already know. I called Jack over at East High this morning to offer my congratulations and he mentioned that Troy hadn't been able to contact you. I attached Jack's email address if you want to send something to them. Call me when you're ready to come home. –Dad.'_

Zeke frowned as he scrolled down and clicked open the link to Albuquerque's local paper. A full color picture of Troy and Gabriella greeted him. Troy was in a suit and had his arms wrapped around Gabriella's waist as she looked up at his face over her shoulder. Her hands gripped a bouquet of white lilies and twin wedding bands gleamed on their fingers. Looking past the picture, Zeke caught the brief announcement that accompanied it.

'_Proud parents, Jack and Lucille Bolton and Maria Montez would like to congratulate their children, Troy Alexander and Gabriella Anna on their recent marriage. The ceremony took place on Saturday, July 5, 2013 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Standing for Troy were high school friends, Chad Danforth and Jason Cross while Sharpay Evans and Taylor McKessie stood for Gabriella. While both bride and groom are graduates of Albuquerque's East High, they plan to return to their home in Los Angeles, California, where Troy is currently playing for the LA Lakers.'_

Zeke's frown deepened as he closed the window and scrolled through old messages until he found one from Jason that was dated almost eight months ago. He groaned as he read it, realizing what his friend had wanted.

'_Hey! Troy asked me to track you down and get an address for you. He has something you may want to see. Your dad gave me this address. Talk to you soon. –Jason.'_

No wonder he hadn't gotten even a hint of Troy and Gabriella's engagement. He had never replied to Jason's request. Sighing, Zeke shut down his computer and grabbed a coat to wear on his way to the restaurant he was currently studying at. It had been almost four years since he had been home and at least two years since he had spoken to one his old friends over an actual phone. He would have to remember that when he moved back to the States next year.


	4. Always Forward

**Parallel Currents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.**

**Chapter Four-Always Forward**

**February 21, 2014**

**Los Angeles, California**

Gabriella Bolton watched as her husband paced the kitchen floor of their LA condominium. Every few minutes Troy would leave the kitchen and pace the hallway between the front entry and the bedroom, take a few laps around the living room, walk out onto the balcony and watch the skyline, all before returning to the kitchen. Gabriella smiled, amused, as she listened to him argue with the person on the end of the phone.

"But, Dad, it's East High. You love East High. You can't just give that up!" Troy exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The Wildcats have won the championships every year since our sophomore year! What will they do without you?"

He shot an anguished look at Gabriella who shook her head and smiled softly before turning her back on him and pouring herself another mug of coffee. Troy was right that Jack Bolton had created a legacy at East High but Gabriella could do the math. Jack would be pushing fifty-five and retirement had been inevitable. Not only was there the fact that the job required more energy than most men his age were willing to give, there was also the fact that Jack complained every time he missed one of Troy's home games to which he held season tickets. Gabriella had seen her father-in-law's announcement coming; she just hadn't expected Troy to take it so hard.

The sound of the phone being slammed onto the receiver told her that the conversation was over and she looked up from her coffee as Troy entered the room. She slid a water bottle across the marble top of the island counter, but he just shook his head.

"He won't budge. He's determined that this will be his final year. The championships are in three weeks and he'll finish out the semester as the P.E. coach but he's done in June. It seems weird thinking of East without dad there yelling and blowing a whistle every six seconds." Troy glanced up at his wife.

"He wants to be able to watch you play. Plus he's getting older, Babe. He can only chase hormonal teenagers for so long. Did he say who would take over?" Gabriella reached into the fridge and grabbed the container of yogurt, spooning some into a bowl before looking at Troy for an answer.

"I don't know. Jason was helping up until last year when his construction company offered him that position in Charleston. Lately dad's been doing it by himself." Troy sighed, seeing Gabriella's point. His father had been attached to East High for years, even before Troy had reached high school.

"He'll find someone. There's no way he will turn over his team to someone who doesn't love it like he does," Gabriella told him.

"You're right about that."

The hard part was that each time something about Albuquerque changed, Troy found it harder to consider it home.

* * *

**May 17, 2014**

**San Francisco, California**

Ryan Evans glanced at the blond sitting in the front pew of the church. He flinched as she turned and, catching his eye, glared at him. He could literally feel his heart freeze in his chest. It had been awhile since Sharpay had revealed the side of her that East High had dubbed the 'Ice Princess' and Ryan was slightly uncomfortable that she was using it on him.

For the fifth time in the last thirty minutes, Ryan toyed with the cell phone resting on silent in his pocket. As if Sharpay could read his mind, she leaned over the pew and raised an eyebrow.

"She is going to kill you for not telling her," she hissed, letting her gaze drop to his pocket and then back up to his face. "She'll be devastated."

Ryan looked away, avoiding the truth that was present in his eyes. He had barely spoken to Gabriella since Christmas when she and Troy had driven up to spend New Years with him. He had kept his love life a secret and lied to her face when she asked if he was seeing anyone. He knew Sharpay was right.

"She is one of our best friends and you haven't even called to say 'Hey, Brie, I'm marrying one of my dancers this afternoon in a shotgun wedding because she's such a great catch she may run away if I wait for you to fly out here'." Sharpay slouched against the hard wooden back of the bench. "God, Ryan, I don't even know why I agreed not to tell her."

Ryan tore his eyes away from his fuming sister and looked towards the back of the church where Ariel was waiting for the cue from the pianist. They had wanted to keep the wedding simple which meant no bridesmaids or groomsmen, just his sister and Ariel's roommate to sign the witness lines of the marriage license. Ryan smiled as the graceful young woman glided towards him with practiced steps.

He knew Gabriella would never forgive him for not telling her and Sharpay would hold a grudge for years for putting her in a position of outright lying. He told himself that he would call Gabriella the next morning and tell her. He would tell her how happy he was and how beautiful Ariel looked. How much she understood his passion for dance. He would chatter endlessly so that Gabriella wouldn't catch the hesitancy in his voice or wonder if the reason he didn't want her in San Francisco was because she would take one look at his wife and say the same thing Sharpay had.

But Ryan refused to consider that Ariel was using him for power and money and opportunity. And he refused to give Gabriella the chance to tell him he was using his dancers to forget how much Kelsi had hurt him.

* * *

**September 4, 2014**

**New York City, New York**

Kelsi shoved her glasses up her nose and adjusted the headband that kept her bangs out of her eyes as she stood in front of her front window in her new apartment. Scattered around her were sealed and partially opened boxes that ranged in size. Some had 'fragile' scrawled across the top in curly cursive. Several smaller ones were stacked on the countertop that also acted as a table with stools lined on one side. In the space originally designed for a small dining room table, stood her piano that had been shipped from London the week before.

Sighing, Kelsi gazed out her window and let a small smile tug at her lips as she took in the view of the six blocks that sprawled between her building and Juilliard where she would be teaching part-time. When he former teachers had learned that she had accepted a job with a music company that produced background tracks and music for major recording artists, they had insisted that she come back to help compose the concert hall pieces for their numerous workshops. Kelsi hadn't been able to find a reason to refuse.

It had been four years since she had been in New York. She kept track of Gabriella and Troy through her parents who lived on the block behind the Bolton's in Albuquerque, and Chad and Taylor were easy enough to find by scanning the sports section of the New York Times. Although she knew what they were up to, her friends hadn't actually spoken to her since the months before Troy and Gabriella's wedding. Kelsi had no idea what Sharpay or Jason were up and the only thing she knew about Ryan was that he wasn't in New York.

Looking around the apartment, Kelsi's eyes fell on a box labeled 'EH Musicales'. That box, she decided, would remain sealed.

* * *

**April 30, 2015**

**Los Angeles, California**

Troy flipped the page of the morning paper as he listened to Taylor chatter on the other end of the phone. The Lakers were not going to make the finals and Gabriella had thought it would be fun for them to fly up to New York and watch Chad and the Knicks play. Troy tried not to roll his eyes as Taylor listed off all the home games between May and June, adding little tidbits of information in between like when her parents would be there or when her graduation from medical school was.

"You don't care about Austen having a playdate or what show Broadway is playing while you're here, do you?" Taylor Danforth (as of six months ago) asked Troy.

"I'm sorry, there's just a lot going on. How about Brie and I sit down and pick a weekend? We were planning on getting a hotel room anyway so we won't be interrupting your schedule any." Troy scribbled out the dates that Taylor had given him and glanced at the calendar on the fridge as he did so, comparing the Bolton schedule to the Knicks' games.

"How is she feeling?" Taylor asked, switching topics as fluidly as if it had been scripted.

"Pretty shitty. This whole morning sickness lasting all day is making her slightly unpleasant," Troy relayed as he heard water run in the master bathroom.

"They give you a due date yet?"

"Sometime around the middle of October, which is good because I won't be traveling until the middle of November so I will be around. If I need to leave her for anything, my parents said they can fly in and stay with her. Her mom is here at least once a month too." Troy poured a glass of apple juice and handed it to Gabriella who had entered the kitchen. She shot him a look that asked who was on the phone and he mouthed Taylor's name as Taylor yelled something to four-year-old Austen.

"Oh God, Troy, I have to let you go. Austen just found Chad's shaving cream. Tell Gabs that the nausea goes away eventually and it's better than needing to pee every five seconds." With that Taylor hung up and Troy turned to a very pale Gabriella.

"Tay says it gets better," he offered as she sipped her juice and grimaced.

"It had better or this is the only time I do this," Gabriella retorted.

Troy grinned at her as he sipped his morning coffee while she growled. Caffeine withdrawal was still a sore spot in her pregnancy.

* * *

**June 3, 2015**

**Houston, Texas**

Zeke grinned as he shook hands with the owner of Cesario's Classico Restaurant in downtown Houston. After spending seven months in Venice, Italy, a friend at a local restaurant had put Zeke in contact with his brother who owned a major five star restaurant in Texas. After hearing of Zeke's international and hands-on knowledge of the culinary arts, Giovanni Romanvo had offered him a job as the weekend sous-chef with the potential to advance if all went well.

Zeke had called his parents and booked a flight home to the States.

Looking around the spacious backroom that was outfitted in stainless steel appliances, Zeke's smile widened. Despite the experience of traveling, this was the closest he had come to feeling at home in awhile.

* * *

**October 17, 2015**

**New York City, New York**

Chad held the phone to his ear as he waited for someone to pick up the phone in the Evans household. Glancing at the clock on the microwave, he calculated the time difference and frowned, knowing that Ryan or What's-Her-Face-The-Wife should be home at this hour. Hearing the line click and the voicemail pick up, Chad sighed as he waited for the cue.

'Hey Ryan, it's Chad. Troy asked me to call you and let you know that Gabriella had a girl last night in LA. I don't know if Sharpay would have called you, but Troy thought you would like to know even if you and Gabs aren't talking. They named her Olivia Penelope. Call me when you get this."

Hanging up, Chad shook his head. Ryan and Gabriella had been best friends all through high school and college even before Gabriella and Sharpay had gotten close, the idea of them not speaking was hard to process but each time it got brought up Gabriella would leave the room or change the subject.

"Did you call him?" Taylor asked as she entered the room. Chad looked up and nodded.

"I got his voicemail. Do you think he'll call her?"

"I don't know. She is pretty upset with him. I think deep down, she's still mad at Sharpay too. The only difference with Sharpay is that Gabs sees her when they go home. Even then, I don't think they see each as much as they used to." Taylor shrugged her shoulders as she poured cereal into a bowl for Austen who had entered the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Hop up, Buddy, and when you're done Daddy will drive you to preschool."

"You working tonight?" Chad asked as he eyed the calendar on the wall.

"Yeah, but I have the next three days off and then I'm on days for the next four." Taylor explained, reading the same schedule Chad was. All her residency shifts were marked in red marker and all of Chad's games and practices were in blue.

"I'm in LA in December," Chad told her and she smiled.

"I'll talk to my attending and see what I can do."

Chad nodded and went to gather Austen's stuff together, wondering how their relationships with their friends had been broken down to phone calls, emails and away games.

* * *

**March 2, 2016**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Sharpay's designer heels clicked dully on the wooden floors. They would need to be replaced she thought as she did a slow 360 degree turn in the lobby of the building she had just bought with the remainder of her trust fund. The walls needed to be stripped and repainted and the lighting had to be redesigned. If she tore out the west wall, she could replace it with panes of glass.

Pulling out a sketchbook, she motioned to the construction worker that had arrived to give her a consultation on the work. Wordlessly, Sharpay handed him the book of drawings which he scanned before taking out a measuring tape and began making notations on her plans. Leaving him to do his job, she ducked under the plastic that hid the back of the building and inspected each of the four rooms that had originally been conference areas.

"The studios are going here. You will have to rip everything out and start from scratch," she called down the hall to the lobby in a businesslike voice.

"We have someone in the Charleston, South Carolina office who redid the American Ballet Company's studios a few years back. He sent us some plans," the worker called as he came up behind her. "Did you go upstairs yet?"

"Last week. The stair case needs to be replaced. I want it wider and less winding. The rooms upstairs were all offices and storage space, it needs to be redesigned." Sharpay led the way up the dust covered staircase.

"You mentioned dressing rooms," the worker inquired and Sharpay nodded. "I need two, big enough for at least twelve people each. One of the rooms will be storage and one will be a classroom. The others need to be torn apart but I'll need three rooms suitable for offices." The worker wrote down everything as Sharpay rattled off her demands.

"I'll send you the estimate next week, Miss Evans."

"You're already hired. When can you start?" She wanted this to happen as soon as possible. Her parents were thrilled that she had finally gotten everything in place. All she needed were teachers and staff.

"Monday."

"Make it happen."

Sharpay was tired of watching her friends' lives move forward while she remained stationary.

* * *

**August 5, 2016**

**Los Angeles, California**

Gabriella hung up the phone and turned to Troy who was trying to entice ten-month-old Olivia to drink her milk. He looked up from his daughter and saw Gabriella watching them.

"That was Chad?" he asked, bouncing the baby up and down as she giggled.

"Yeah. Taylor had another boy. They named him Alexander." Gabriella watched Troy's face as he registered the middle name of his best friend's second child. A grin split his face as Olivia gurgled.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Chad said you're his constant," Gabriella relayed, smiling at how happy Troy seemed over a name. "He also said something about kicking your butt in a few months."

"I'd like to see him try," Troy retorted.

Gabriella chuckled and took the baby, settling her against her chest as Troy grabbed his gear for practice. It seemed that their lives were always going at breakneck speed.

* * *

**January 24, 2017**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Sharpay leaned over the marble topped counter, grabbing the ringing telephone while directing the construction workers who were trying to center a mounted poster of Swan Lake on the wall behind the reception desk in the studio. Glancing outside, she could see that the sign company had finally arrived and the electricians were directing them around the wires for the spotlights.

"All That Glitters Dance and Arts," Sharpay answered cheerfully.

"How's it going?" her brother asked from the other line.

"Pretty good, actually. The studios are done except for the guys to finish the floors and the offices are done except for furniture. We should be ready to open by spring like expected. That whole roof thing threw me off but we're back on track now." She used her finger to direct a worker carrying a stereo system towards the waiting studio. "How are things on your end?"

"She left me." Ryan's voice was flat as he delivered the news.

"I saw that one coming." Sharpay tried to keep the acid out of her voice.

She blamed Ryan for the disintegration of her friendship with Gabriella in the last few years. They had become distant and Sharpay knew it was because Gabriella was upset that she had withheld Ryan's engagement from her. The few conversations they had had in the months following his wedding had been bitter and sarcastic. Sharpay had only spoken to her once during the week after Olivia's birth and then had heard nothing. It didn't help that both women were constantly busy.

"A little support, Sis, would be nice," Ryan ground out.

"You two fought the entire time we were in Vegas for Christmas. I hardly call that a relationship when it's over why you haven't gotten her a job with Broadway yet," Sharpay sighed. "Look, I know you wanted it to work but it got off to a rocky start and then got rockier. You married her because you wanted to move forward but that's obviously not working out for you."

"So what do I do?"

"Sign the divorce papers, be glad you had Daddy draw up a pre-nup so she gets nothing and then move on from this lesson." A worker signaled for her attention and Sharpay nodded. "I have to go though. Something needs to be looked at."

"Thanks, Sis. Have you talked to Gabs lately?" Ryan sounded hesitant, knowing how his sister felt about that particular argument.

"Not since Olivia was born and before you ask no, Chad and I haven't talked in awhile either. I'll catch you later." Hanging up on her brother, Sharpay surveyed the lobby of her studio.

At least she wasn't the only one drifting away from the pack.

* * *

**July 27, 2017**

**New York City, New York**

Troy watched his best friend ease himself of his crutches and take a seat on the sofa where Troy was watching game tapes of the Lakers final game in June. He saw the flicker of a wince cross Chad's face as he shifted his injured knee into a better position before turning his gaze back to the television. Muting the announcer's voice, he faced Chad and nervously rubbed the back on his neck.

"Have they told you when you can go back?" Troy asked, referring to the team of doctor's and physiotherapists that had made it their job to get the Knicks MVP back on the court by the beginning of the new season.

"Maybe September. Maybe October. It's hard to know," Chad told him quietly, watching Troy move silently across the screen of the television. "I'm thinking I may not go back." He didn't watch for Troy's reaction.

"But, why? Have they said you won't be able to play? Is that a possibility?" Troy couldn't believe Chad ever giving up basketball willingly. This was Chad Danforth, the kid who refused to sit through class without a ball within hands reach.

"No, it's not them. It's actually me." Chad watched as Troy sunk deeper into the couch cushion in shock. "I will never be able to play the way I did and to me that means its time to step back. if I went back, I would push myself to the limit, blow out my knee again and be right back to square one. I don't want that."

"But you love the game. What will you do without it?" Troy watched as Chad twirled his wedding band around his finger.

"I've had good years playing out my dream. I would have liked more than four but those are the breaks. Then there are the boys and Taylor who is working herself to the bone to finish her residency," Chad sighed and looked at his friend. "I want to spend time with them. I want to be around more than five days at a time."

"So what will you do? They have to pay you out, right?" Troy tried to picture himself making that sort of sacrifice and knew deep down he could do it if the time ever came.

"I talked to my agent and he said that if the coach agrees I would see less court time this season, I have a clause that allows me to cash in the last year of my contract and retire. If not, Taylor and I have enough saved up that we could get by without a whole lot of change." Chad sucked in a breath. "I've been thinking of putting my degree to good use and starting my own company but I haven't nailed down anything concrete."

Troy nodded and had to grin at the idea of Chad becoming a businessman. Shaking his head he opened his mouth, only to be cut off by a loud screeching and a thud followed by crying. He was half out of his seat before Gabriella entered the room carrying a crying two-year-old Olivia while Taylor chastised a six-year-old Austen for ganging up on the younger children.

"Did you realize when you became an adult?" Troy asked quietly as he watched his daughter.

Chad just shook his head and laughed.

* * *

**November 29, 2017**

**East High, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Madeline Simmons bounced up and down excitedly as she watched Mrs. Darbus pull down old announcements from the bulletin board and pin a newspaper page in its place. With her honey blond hair and big blue eyes, the budding actress and drama club president considered herself a shoo-in for the winter musicale and today was the day that Darbus was supposed to announce the production they would begin auditioning for after the holidays.

Seeing the drama teacher, who was in her final year at East High, step back from the bulletin board, Madeline put some grace in her step as she approached the board the teacher had just abandoned. Students had already gathered in front and Madeline beamed, thinking that Mrs. Darbus had just posted the page out of the local newspaper that showed Madeline dancing in one of the workshops being run by _All That Glitters_ on the west side. She frowned as she noticed the basketball team shove through the crowd and shout something.

Madeline was about to say something when she caught site of the article Mrs. Darbus had posted. Instead of Madeline doing a pirouette in front of one of the studio's many mirrors; it showed two guys in basketball jerseys facing off on the court. Shoving people out of her way, Madeline got close enough to read the article that was stealing her spotlight.

'_The manager of the New York Knicks announced yesterday that their champion player, Chad Danforth, would not be returning to court following a knee injury last February. Danforth was present at the press conference yesterday when the announcement was made, although he had no comment. Long time friend and high school teammate, Troy Bolton, was seen standing off to one side during the conference but told reporters he was there to support his friend in his decision.' _

Madeline skimmed through the parts that mentioned the Knicks' stats and playoff chances until finding the answer to her question about why Darbus had decided this was so important. She almost took a step back in shock as she looked at the picture of the two players, one with chiseled good looks and the other with a perfectly shaped afro, and connected them with the tapes of past musicales Darbus kept in her archives.

'_Danforth was a member of East Albuquerque's high school state champion team three years running, and played for two years with the University of Albuquerque team before transferring to Yale and then New York University. A phone call to retired Coach Jack Bolton in New Mexico mentioned Danforth as 'dedicated, determined and passionate' who made his decision to retire 'based on his family and a desire to bow out of the league before he did any permanent damage'. _

Madeline frowned and turned, seeing Mrs. Darbus watching her. She didn't know that the look on her face showed confusion until the teacher spoke.

"Mr. Danforth was one of my more memorable students in a class of many talented students. That group of students put a lot of faith in this school to break the status quo and sometimes I wonder if they know how much things have gone back to being the same."

"I've heard his name somewhere," Madeline said quietly, "his and the other guy's."

"That class did amazing things for the theatre and their dreams. You would do well to ask Miss Evans about it the next time you have class."

Madeline didn't know what to say as the teacher walked away.


	5. Full Circle

**

* * *

**

Parallel Currents

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.**

**Chapter Five-Full Circle**

**August 1, 2018**

_**All That Glitters Dance & Art**_**, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Sharpay tallied up her order, her pink manicured nails tapping away on the calculator, and signed the bottom of the slip that indicated it was to be rushed by the company in New York. Picking up the phone, she tapped out a number and waited until the other person picked up.

"Miss Darbus? I got your message about the drama position still being open at East." Sharpay spun her chair so she could see the giant calendar posted behind her desk. "I'm not really interested in taking it on full-time but I am willing to offer help to the substitute teacher until the position is filled."

She listened as her former teacher and director chattered about the bright stars that would be in the senior and junior classes come September. Flipping through the pink and blue file folders on her desk, Sharpay waited for a break in the conversation.

"That's fabulous. Now, I actually have a favor to ask of you. I am running a dance and performing camp for children ages 3-7 in the morning and ages 8-12 in the afternoons for the two weeks before school starts. I was wondering if you had any students last year who would be competent and willing to work." Sharpay poised her pen over her notebook in preparation. She jotted down some names and smiled at a familiar one.

"Yes, Maddie had already signed up. She's been teaching our preschool classes all summer. Well, thank you for the others and I will let you know about East." Saying good-bye, Sharpay hung up and began dialing the numbers of the five students Miss Darbus had given her.

If they were anything like her and Ryan had been in high school, Sharpay knew it was bound to be a difficult task to convince them to work.

* * *

**August 5, 2018**

**Los Angeles, California**

Troy paced the living room angrily, running his free hand through his hair while the other held the phone to his ear. He closed his eyes as he listened to his agent on the other line.

"I don't care what they want or who they are willing to give up, I'm telling you to find a way out of it!" Troy yelled, spinning quickly as he heard a pot drop in the kitchen and then heard Gabriella scold Olivia for making noise while Daddy was on the phone. "I'm not moving to Washington! I told you I would switch LA teams. I said I would agree to New Jersey or New York, but I am not uprooting my family to Washington so you better figure it out."

Troy pinched the bridge of his nose as his agent explained the situation to him. He had known the minute his agent had called this afternoon what he would have to do. During the last two months, ever since his contract expired and he was eligible to be drafted again, Troy had considered all his options and knew what he would do if the Lakers traded away his rights. He and Gabriella had discussed it and now, hearing Jim apologize over the phone, Troy knew that it was decision time.

"They signed everything? It's all done except for me?" Jim sighed into Troy's ear, affirming Troy's belief. "Then, that's it. I refuse to renew. They can keep my draft place, but I'm not playing."

Troy looked up and saw Gabriella standing in the doorway to the room, Olivia on her hip eating a cookie, watching him with an encouraging smile. She had told him they would move. She could find another school to teach at. Olivia wasn't in school yet. They would do it for him, but Troy didn't want it. He didn't want to give his daughter the life of constant upheaval that Gabriella had lived with and he wanted the security of her making friends and keeping them. Chad had given up pro ball and he hadn't died yet.

"Call Coach and tell him," Troy said before hanging up and flinging himself on the couch. That was it. His pro career was done.

"You didn't have to do that," Gabriella said as she sat behind him, leaning her head on his shoulder as Olivia climbed into his lap. "We would have done it."

"I know," Troy sighed out, "but I don't want it. I played with the Lakers, Brie. I made it to the top and was fairly successful once I was there. I had my dream and I ended it on my terms, something I understand better now although I didn't understand when Chad did it. Now, all I want is to raise our family. I want Olivia to make friends that she will keep and I want us to own a house with a lawn."

"You're sure?" she asked, and he nodded. "Alright, I'll call the real estate agent tomorrow. You still want the house on Oak Street, the block behind your parents?"

"You loved it when we went down last week. Use your maiden name. I don't want the press down there harassing us because I threw a temper tantrum. I'll call mom and dad to let them know." Troy tickled Olivia under her chin until she shrieked and he laughed. "We're doing the right thing, Brie. It's what I want."

Gabriella nodded and Troy watched her head to the kitchen, knowing that one thing in his life was always constant.

* * *

**August 13, 2018**

**San Francisco, California**

Ryan flipped through his business cards until he found the number he wanted. Sharpay had so many different contact numbers he could never remember them all. Dialing the number, Ryan used his pen to make notes in his planner. His sister picked up on the fourth ring.

"All That Glitters, Sharpay speaking," she answered. Ryan had to grin at how professional his sister sounded.

"Hey, Sis."

"Hi, what's up?" she asked.

"I know you're busy with the August camps but I actually have a favor to ask." Ryan twirled his pen and took a breath. "Big Time Records hired us to choreograph three music videos for one of their clients and I decided to it myself."

"Ryan, that's fantastic, but I don't see where I come in." Sharpay sounded genuinely happy for him. He had left the dance company he had been with during his time with Ariel and opened his own studio that offered dance classes but also offered choreography for hire. In the last year he had made a name for himself with film studios and music producers to put together dance numbers for their productions.

"They want mountains and open space. They suggested New Mexico which is why I'm going to do it, but I need studio space that's big enough. I called East High but they are tearing apart the auditorium stage and I don't like West High on principle." Ryan paused and waited for his sister's reaction. He knew her enough to know she was most likely biting the end of her pen.

"Can you wait until after the camps finish? If you can wait until the first week of September, I can push most of my classes back for a few weeks. That will give you four of the five studios, I'm short a pianist so that will give you an office, although it also means you will have to hire one yourself," Sharpay told him as Ryan worked out dates in his head.

"Alright. Can I crash at your place if I come in a few weeks early to work out some stuff? And we can work on payment then too. I'll call Juilliard; they normally let me borrow any promising students they have. Anything you want me to tell the producers first?"

"I have a favor for you actually. If you are in need of extra dancers, can you let some of my students audition? Even if they don't get in, it will be great practice."

"No problem. I'll be there in a week."

Ryan hung up and dialed another familiar number, reaching the voicemail of his Juilliard contact. Leaving a message for her to call him back, he hung up for the second time and turned to his computer to book a plane ticket home.

* * *

**August 14, 2018**

**New York City, New York**

Taylor edged the front door of their townhouse open and quietly entered the foyer where she dropped her briefcase and purse on the floor before shrugging off her light jacket and hanging it up. Kicking off her shoes, she sighed gleefully as she sunk her tired feet into the rug. Leaving her bags on the floor, she walked quietly through the hallway until she reached the bedroom. Her husband was propped up in bed, leaning against the headboard as he watched SportsDesk on the television. Chad looked at her as she entered the room, taking a seat on the bed.

"How was your shift?" he asked quietly, putting the TV on mute.

"Interesting." Taylor leaned across the bed and looked at him. "I got an offer to head up a research clinical trial. The grant will pay for everything; the setup, the staff, my salary. I can finish my residency while I do it."

"You're not telling me something," Chad said with a grin at how nervous she seemed. "Did you tell them yes?"

"I told them I would think about it." Taylor looked up and then back down. "It's not here, Babe. They have five willing hospitals, but since my chief attending is on the board, he's letting me choose my placement if I decide to go."

"Oh, Tay," Chad sighed as he sat up more. "Austen's in school and to uproot him like that, we have to be sure it's worth it. I can move my business, but we have to think of him. What are your options?"

"I would have told them no, except," Taylor looked up and squeezed his hand. "One is in Albuquerque."

"Seriously?" Chad asked and Taylor nodded, nibbling her lip.

"Maybe I'm being selfish, but I miss home, Chad. I miss my mom and your parents. I miss the weather and our friends. Think about it, Babe. Troy and Gabriella will be there. Our kids will go to school together and you can cheer on our sons at East High in a few years." Taylor's eyes pleaded with him. They had lived away for ten years and he knew she wanted what he wanted.

"You want to go home?" he asked, slipping an arm around her shoulders as she nodded. "Then I guess I'll call Gabs tomorrow and get the number of their realtor."

Taylor smiled at the thought of home and everything centered around Albuquerque.

* * *

**August 15, 2018**

**Charleston, South Carolina**

Jason looked up from the blue prints on the makeshift desk in front of him and surveyed the skeleton of the building. The project was having some problems thanks to the owner continuously changing the design and size. Sighing, Jason unclipped the walkie-talkie from his belt when he heard it chirp.

"Go ahead."

"Hiller wants to see you in the trailer. He needs to talk to you about the Albuquerque project next week."

"Gimme five."

Rolling up the plans, Jason shouted at his foreman about where he was going as he walked across the upturned ground to company trailer that doubled as an office during projects. Entering the small structure, he removed his hardhat as his boss rolled out a set of plans.

"These just got sent up from the Albuquerque office. I need your help." Jason nodded and took a closer look. "They are tearing apart the auditorium. It needs a new stage and the mechanical theatre equipment, along with the catwalk and lighting structures are outdated and unsafe. It needs to be rewired as well." Jason listened as he examined the plans.

"You're going to have a problem," he told his boss who raised an eyebrow. "First, the drama department is going to be on you like hornets if it's not finished in time. Secondly, that back wall that they want torn down and sound-proofed? It's the wall between the gym and the auditorium. The athletic department will be on you like bears if they don't have a gym by the first week of school. Coach will kill you if Darbus doesn't."

"I forgot you're from Albuquerque, but that might work. I wanted to send you down because you know more about lighting and theatre equipment than most and it will be cheaper than hiring an outsider. You knowing the territory will make it even more sensible. Can you be on a plan by the end of the week?"

Jason nodded, still examining the plans although his mind was on East High. It had been a long time since he had been home.

* * *

**August 21, 2018**

**Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Gabriella glanced up from the page in her hand as Troy came through the door with another box. Setting it on the table, she watched him push his hair out of his eyes and grab a water bottle off the counter before looking at her.

"The guys have Liv's bed off the truck; did you decide which room to give her yet?" He leaned on the table as she looked at the floor plans in front of her. "I still say she should have the one with the balcony. It reminds me of your old room. Plus the other one has the bathroom attached and would make more sense as a guest room."

"You're right. But when she reaches middle school, that rope ladder attached to the balcony is going." Gabriella looked up as Troy laughed. "I remember how we used the trees in my backyard and she is not having that option."

"Good point. Alright, so I can bring her bed in, our bed is already set up. The living room furniture should be off the truck next and then we can get the rest of the boxes." Gabriella nodded again, re-reading the letter in her hand. "Brie?"

"Sorry. You're dad called and gave me the number for the school board. I need to drop an application off by tomorrow if I want a position. I'll be out to help in a minute."

"Sure. Did Chad call yet?"

"Yeah. They get in tonight and are staying with the Danforth's. I told them we would be over there tomorrow to help get everything in the house while Chad goes downtown to sign the lease on his new office space." Troy nodded and grabbed the remainder of his water before heading back out the door to direct the moving crew.

Looking around, Gabriella couldn't help but grin. In LA they had remained in the condo even after Olivia was born because it was close to everything and it seemed safer than the houses in the downtown area. Now that they had space and knew the area, Gabriella finally felt like they were stable.

* * *

**August 23, 2018**

**Juilliard, New York City, New York**

Kelsi paused in the middle of her song when someone knocked on her door. Looking up, she smiled as Lena Roberts entered the room. The younger woman had been working at the school for three months as a concert pianist for the dance majors.

"Hey, Kelsi? I have a major favor."

"Shoot," Kelsi told her, picking up her pencil to rework some notes on the scoresheets.

"Ben asked me two weeks ago to find a freelance pianist to work with a friend of his for the next three weeks starting in five days. I talked to Jack and he was going to do it up until last week when he got asked to compose the music for the ballet's workshop and they moved the date up last night to a week earlier than anyone expected." Lena took a breath. "So I was wondering if you would like to do it. I know your working on the music for the Cinderella production at Christmas, but you could do that while you're away. They don't need music just a professional player who can manage tempos and working choreography."

"I can probably work it in. Where is it?"

"Albuquerque, New Mexico. There's a production company renting studio space there from out of state, but the studio doesn't have a pianist so one of their contacts called Ben. I think it's a music video or something with one of the record companies." Lena noticed how pale Kelsi had gone and wondered if she had issues with working with famous people.

"Albuquerque?" She managed to get out.

"Is there a problem? I know it's a weird place for Hollywood record companies but-"

"No, it's fine. I was just thinking that it's been a long time since I've been home."

"You're from New Mexico? Someone said you lived in London and before that here. How long has it been?"

"Ten years, except for a handful of holidays." Kelsi clenched her hands.

"And you still consider it home?" Lena looked confused but Kelsi smiled.

Some places were just like that, she told herself.

* * *

**August 24, 2018**

_**Cesario's**_**, Houston, Texas**

Zeke took a seat in his boss' office, admiring the Italian art on the wall while the owner ended a phone call. Turning to Zeke, he leaned back in his chair and grinned.

"How would you like your own restaurant?" the man asked.

"Excuse me, sir?" Zeke was fairly certain he had heard wrong.

"That was the manager of Cesario's in Albuquerque. They have just been fined for the second time in a year by the health department and he's quitting. They can't keep a decent chef on the payroll and the staff is a bunch of high school students who don't possess any manners. I need someone to go down there and tear the place apart."

"And you want me?"

"Yes. You can either take over the kitchen yourself or know how to hire a decent chef. You work wonders with the staff here and you know how to manage and handle people. I'm giving you free rein. You tear it apart, put it back together, bring enough money to cover the losses from the last year and then I will sign it over to you for 30% of the profits for the next five years."

"What if I turn it around and then we discuss the rest?" Zeke suggested, not willing to get in over his head so soon, especially with a disaster that this was bound to be.

"Deal."

"I'll call you when I get home."

The Italian knew enough to question whether his employee meant the apartment six blocks away or the hometown in another state.


	6. Mending Breaks

**Parallel Currents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.**

**Chapter Six-Mending Breaks**

**August 27, 2018**

**East High, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Jason pulled back the top sheet of the blue prints and examined the one beneath it. The auditorium was a mess. Sawdust clung to everything. All the audience seating had been ripped out. The hardwood floor of the stage had been sanded down a hundred times but had yet to be stained or polished. The crew had hauled boxes of costumes and materials out of the storage area before starting and it all resided in the gymnasium until a better spot could be found. Jason grinned at the idea of Coach Bolton having theatre stuff in his gym.

He had been shocked to learn that Coach had retired and even further shocked that Miss Darbus had followed him a couple of years later. Jason had met the current coach and could tell how much he loved the job although Jason thought he was a little old and didn't have many more coaching years left in him. Jason wondered how it would be to coach the same team he had played on but brushed it off knowing he would never have the patience. A voice interrupted him and Jason turned to see Principal Saunders, in his fifth year of teaching, coming towards him.

"Mr. Cross, I was hoping for a moment of your time." Jason nodded and he continued. "We are conducting a number of interviews tomorrow for East Middle and East High, and I was wondering if any of the work here would be audible in the front office?"

"I don't think so. Tomorrow is mostly wiring and lighting before we get the walls back up and finish the floor. You shouldn't be interrupted. If you find it to distracting, let me know and I will try to reschedule some things."

Thanking him, the principal picked his way back to the front of the theatre hall and left, leaving Jason to return to the job at hand.

* * *

_**Cesario's Classico Restaurant**_**, Albuquerque**

Zeke rubbed the palms of his hands over his face and groaned. He was currently sitting in the office of the old manager of the restaurant and the employee files in front of him were not making his first week back home any easier. The first thing he had done was call the health inspector. The second was a company specifically certified to disinfect and clean everything in the kitchen and the public areas. The third was to call a construction company to replace the windows, doors and tear up the disgusting yellow colored flooring in the bathroom.

Now, Zeke's job currently involved hiring a new chef but no one that had applied or been sought out was qualified or interested enough to do the job right, which meant Zeke would have to handle it until someone was found. He also had to have a chat with his staff about their manners. It didn't help that half of the wait staff were members of the East High basketball team. Zeke didn't remember being that arrogant.

Hearing a knock on the office door, a pretty young girl that currently held the position of hostess entered the room. Zeke was sure she was the only person fully competent with her job.

"There is a gentleman on the phone asking if we have enough room to handle a party of twelve tomorrow night? He says he's with a production company and he's willing to pay for us to close the restaurant to the public. They're here from California," Rachel told him

"Do we have enough staff for that?" Zeke asked, trying to decide if he was willing to risk the restaurant's entire reputation on one night. Although, it would be a good learning experience.

"Yes. Six of the team are in plus myself and Hannah. We don't have a chef but-" she looked at her new boss who nodded.

"I'm on that don't worry. Alright call all the boys and tell them I will pay them double to be here an hour and half early. Same with Hannah and you. We need to make this a big deal. Tell the client that we can take them and close the restaurant but if they are agreeable, it would be better if we could narrow the menu. Ask if they have any dietary concerns."

Rachel nodded and hurried back to the phone while Zeke set aside his previous work and began working on a menu for the next night.

* * *

**August 29, 2018**

**East High, Albuquerque**

Gabriella gripped the packet of payroll and tax papers in her hand as she followed the principal and other applicants down the main hallway of East High. She had breezed through the interview according to the principal and the school board representative and had already been unofficially hired. When they stopped at the administration offices, Gabriella looked at the plaques on the wall that recognized teachers that had made major contributions to extra-curricular activities. She grinned as she read Jack Bolton and Millicent Darbus within the most recent years.

"Alright, so if all of you except Mrs. Bolton could wait here, the school board has a few questions regarding available positions in the city. Mrs. Bolton, if you follow me?" Gabriella looked up as everyone else followed the school board reps into the offices.

Following the principal, Gabriella let her eyes fall on the familiar interior of her old high school. She snapped back to the present when the principal addressed her again.

"The others are being offered positions at West High and East-North Middle, but considering your history with this place, I thought to offer you the available position in the mathematics department. Are you willing?" he asked and Gabriella smiled happily.

"Of course, sir."

"That's fantastic. Now not much has changed in the last ten years or so I've been told, but there a few changes I thought I could discuss with you." He paused as they turned a familiar hallway and Gabriella could almost hear Kelsi playing from the music room or Sharpay running lines from Miss Darbus' makeshift stage in homeroom. "We are currently redoing the auditorium and one of the walls in the gymnasium. Jack Bolton's position was taken by Will Benson a few years ago but the team has remained competitive. The only two positions we have available at the moment are the one you just accepted and the one available in the drama department. Miss Sharpay Evans has agreed to help with the fall musicale and some of the classes until we fill the position but she doesn't want it herself."

Gabriella grinned at her friend's name and reminded herself to track her down later. Things had been so crazy. She turned back to the principal.

"Now, I must get back to the interviews but feel welcome to wander around. This is the key to your classroom. Anything in it is yours to use and if you put together a list of everything else, we can discuss it tomorrow morning at the staff meeting."

Gabriella nodded and waited for him to leave before turning down the hallway towards the sound of hammers and saws. Reaching a hand out to open the door to the theatre, she had to step back as it swung open and a tall, broadly built man with dark hair barreled into her.

"Oh, I am so sorry, miss-" the guy stared at her in shock. "Gabriella?"

"Jason?"

* * *

_**Cesario's**_**, Albuquerque**

Ryan chuckled at the joke the record company's producer had made and took a bite of his penne a la vodka. Sharpay had rolled her eyes when she heard the name of the restaurant the director of the music shoot had booked for their meeting, telling Ryan not to eat if he wanted to stay alive. Ryan had been slightly anxious but the food so far was amazing. The building was slightly rundown and the inside needed a decorator but the food was exquisite.

The conversation shifted to business as they negotiated rental fees with Sharpay who had inherited the talent of their father to come out winning. When the record company finally gave up and moved on to asking Ryan about auditions and equipment needs. Ryan sighed and glanced at his watch.

"I hired a pianist which will come out of my fees since I knew Sharpay didn't have anyone available. Juilliard is sending someone, although all I know is it's not the guy I wanted. She's running late, I guess. I left a message at the hotel I booked through Juilliard."

One of the many waiters for the evening appeared at the table with a printed menu and a notepad. The conversation halted as the boy stared at the hip hop artist sitting across from Ryan and chatting with Sharpay. Ryan cleared his throat and the boy flushed and turned his attention back to the rest of the table.

"Would anyone enjoy dessert this evening?" the boy asked with perfect manners. Ryan noticed the glint of gold on the boy's finger with a solid red 'E' embossed on the surface.

"You play for East High," Ryan noted and the boy looked surprised.

"Uhh, yeah," he stumbled before remembering the lecture his boss had given him and he stood up straighter. "Most of us working tonight do, even the new chef."

Sharpay looked up at the waiter's comment and then over to Ryan, asking him the obvious question.

"What's on the menu for dessert?" Ryan asked.

"Crème Brule or apple blossoms, sir. Mr. Baylor said if you have any other requests, he may be able to comply." Ryan smirked at the grin on Sharpay's face as she heard the familiar name.

"Can you tell Mr. Baylor that I would like an apple blossom without the apples, with ice cream and chocolate chips?" The celebrity beside her looked at her oddly but Sharpay and Ryan were grinning like idiots. The boy took the remaining orders before scurrying away.

Fifteen minutes later, while Sharpay was talking to the producer, Ryan noticed the tall, dark and familiar figure appear behind his sister's chair. Zeke looked older and leaner in the face but everything else was the same. Reaching his arm around Sharpay, he set the plate in front her before leaning down closer to her ear.

"Apples are the part that makes it healthy, Shar." The blonde girl turned around and smiled as she threw her arms around her old friend's neck.

"If I wanted healthy I wouldn't have ordered chocolate chips, Zeke," she replied cheekily before turning back to the group of people. "Gentlemen, I would like to introduce the chef for tonight, Zeke Baylor, who neglected to inform me he had returned from the other side of the world."

"I've been in Houston for the last few years."

"And now you're home." The group hadn't noticed the door to the restaurant swing open and a short, dark haired girl with glasses enter the restaurant, swiping at the bangs that fell into her eyes. Zeke turned when he heard the footsteps behind him.

"I am so sorry!" Kelsi exclaimed, looking around the table at the group of men. "My flight was almost four hours late and the hotel had me booked under Jack's name and-" Kelsi paused when she heard someone laugh and the restaurant staff stepped back.

"Hey, Kels. How's New York?" Sharpay asked when Zeke's movement revealed the pianist.

"It's not home, Shar," Kelsi said quietly searching for the person she knew was there. "Neither was London." Kelsi's eyes rested on Ryan who wasn't smiling. Zeke cleared his throat and motioned for another chair.

"Kels, you still like Crème Brule?" he asked and Kelsi grinned at how well these people still knew her.

"Only you can make it right," she replied and Zeke left for the kitchen as the strangers around the table skipped the awkward questions and continued to talk money and schedules.

* * *

**August 30, 2018**

_**All That Glitters**_**, Albuquerque**

Taylor gritted her teeth as she gripped her youngest son's hand and ordered her eldest to make sure Olivia didn't get hit in the parking lot. Shouldering the three kit bags that she had put together, she marched the trio across the parking lot to the front glass doors of the dance studio. Gabriella had called her in a panic, saying that East High had a staff meeting and the Bolton's were both busy helping Chad move into his office while Troy was at the realtor's office signing the papers for final sale on the condo in LA. That left Taylor with three children and a house still filled with boxes. The new neighbors had mentioned day camps taking place on the West side and gave Taylor the address.

She had become Taylor's savior and the doctor reminded herself to do something nice for them as a thank you. Entering the brightly lit front room, Taylor located the front desk and a very harassed looking young woman.

"Hi, I heard there may still be openings for this morning's camp?" The receptionist nodded. "I need three spots. I'll pick them up at twelve." The receptionist tapped away as Taylor gave her the kids' names and her cell phone number as an emergency.

Bending down to kiss all three children, Taylor handed their bags to the receptionist and watched as Olivia grabbed Alex's hand and tugged him down the hall singing something that sounded remotely like 'Music in Me'. Shaking her head, Taylor left the building and headed to the grocery store so that she wouldn't feed her family pizza or chicken nuggets for the fourth time that week.

* * *

**August 31, 2018**

_**All That Glitters**_**, West Side, Albuquerque**

Troy hurried through the front doors of the dance studio and almost tripped over a potted plant on his way to the front desk. Pushing his sunglasses out of his face, he looked at the receptionist.

"My daughter and two other kids...I forgot they finished an hour ago…I'm so sorry," he breathed out as he heard the sound of high heels on tile.

"Bolton, your kid never shuts up." Troy whirled at the sound of the voice and let a smile light his face as he took in Sharpay. She had barely changed since the last time he had seen her three years ago.

"What do you expect? She spends a lot of time with Chad." Sharpay smirked before Troy heard pounding footsteps and squeals.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Auntie Sharpie showed me movies of you and Uncle Chad!" Olivia cried as Troy swung her up, only to be bowled into by Alex and Austen. "She knew your song!"

Troy raised an eyebrow at Sharpay who shrugged.

"I came downstairs to check on things and she was doing jazz squares in front the mirror while singing 'Music in Me'. Along with that, those eyes are a dead giveaway of you."

"And then you figured out who the boys are?" Troy asked and Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding? They have little Chad afros. Who else could they belong to? Although they are obviously Taylor's because one of them was multiplying the dance steps out loud. You guys are visiting?" Troy grinned and shook his head.

"The Lakers were going to trade me so I retired and then Taylor got an offer to open a research center for a childhood clinical trial, so here we are. Brie and I talked it over and decided to come home and the Danforth's followed. What about you?"

"This place is as exciting as it gets. Ryan's in town for a few weeks and hired Kelsi to work with him not knowing she was who Juilliard sent. We should get together. I may have a job for you," Sharpay added. "East is looking for a new Miss Darbus."

Troy laughed before scooping Alex off the floor and asked Austen to grab the bags. Telling Sharpay he would see her the next day, he continued to chuckle to himself as he pictured himself with a cellphone bucket while lecturing about the Chapel of the Arts.

* * *

**September 2, 2018**

**Bolton Residence, Oak Street, Albuquerque**

Gabriella set the plate of uncooked hamburgers and hotdogs on the countertop next to the patio door for Troy to grab on his way to barbeque. Wiping her hands on a dishtowel, she pulled the pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge and set it on the table next to the stacks of plastic cups and straws. Returning to the cupboards, she reached up and pulled down stacks of plates and placed them on the table with the cups.

The sound of the front door opening caused her to turn away from the fridge and look up as Taylor entered the kitchen with two plates while Chad carried a cooler. Austen and Alex zipped by on their way through the patio door to the backyard where Troy and Olivia were playing the garden hose.

"Hey guys. Chad, can you put that on the deck by the barbeque and ask Troy to fire up the grill?" Gabriella asked as she balanced a bowl of ice cubes in one hand and shut the freezer door with the other. "Tay, those can go on the table."

"So, how's East High?" Taylor asked as she laid out the trays of fruit she had brought with her. She looked out the open door and watched as her husband and Troy attacked each other with a hose while the kids looked on, confused. She shook her head and looked at her friend.

"It's weird. Everything is the same but everything's different. The basketball team still has posters everywhere but it's strange to look at them and not see Troy or Chad or the rest. The drama club has a bulletin board of all their performances but the star of all the shows isn't Sharpay and Ryan. I look at the pictures of last year's scholastic decathlon and I don't see you or me." Gabriella smiled and looked over at her friend. "They have a wall of fame," she added.

"A wall of fame?" The voice came from the entryway where Ryan, Kelsi and Sharpay were standing. They set down bowls of salad and rolls and rice before taking a seat and Gabriella's offered glasses of juice. Ryan repeated his question.

"The student government made it their project last year," Sharpay explained as she swirled the ice cubes in her glass. "East High had been open for 25 years and they went through all the old records and year books to put together a wall of students who contributed to East High's traditions."

"So, anyone we know?" Kelsi asked and Gabriella grinned. Taylor looked confused. "They did it by senior class and let's just say our group? We kind of took over."

"Seriously?" Taylor asked as someone knocked and Gabriella went to answer the door to Zeke and Jason who had arrived at the same time.

"Troy and Chad and the basketball guys obviously started a state champion streak that only ended a couple of years ago. Ryan, Kelsi and I pretty much built the drama department from the ground up. Our shows brought in more money than any organized fundraiser, although I didn't know that until last year. Taylor and Gabs made the scholastic decathlon such a success that the school began pumping more money into the program. I had a student at the studio last year ask why Miss Darbus posted the articles about Chad's retirement and apparently the old bat told her that 'he was one of many promising students out of her most promising class'. East High loves us. Wait until Gabs and Troy start there."

Ryan rolled his eyes as Taylor looked up.

"Why would Troy be teaching there? They have a basketball coach." Taylor was slightly annoyed by Sharpay's smirk.

"They need a replacement for Miss Darbus and I'm determined to convince Mr. Superstar to take it."

Zeke choked on his drink and spit it out as Jason laughed and hiccupped.

"Laugh all you want, but he'll do it." Sharpay turned as the patio door opened and Troy entered, carrying a giggling Olivia over his shoulder. He stopped as everyone in the kitchen went quiet.

"Hey, guys."

Zeke couldn't hold it in again and started laughing while Troy raised and eyebrow confused. Looking at Gabriella, he noticed the twinkle in her eye and the smile tugging her lips.

"I'm definitely missing something," he muttered.


	7. Always Wild

**Parallel Currents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HSM.**

**Chapter Seven- Always Wild**

**January 27, 2019**

**East High Gym, Albuquerque**

When the buzzer called the end of the game, Gabriella resisted plugging her ears to dull the noise of the crowd. At center court, the East High Wildcats basketball team hugged and clapped each other on the back as the coaches presented the team with the championship trophy for the ninth time in twelve years. Turning to her left, Gabriella grinned at the smiles on Troy and Chad's faces as they watched.

"How does it feel to be in the stands?" she asked, taking the juice box from Olivia who was on Troy's shoulders.

"A little odd," he admitted. "I think I will like next year better."

"It would seem the Bolton and the Danforth's are destined to remain East High basketball gods," Gabriella acknowledged, referring to the current coach's decision to step down to assistant coach and causing the school board to track down the city's resident NBA stars and beg for them to take the position.

"Give it a few more years and it will be our kids winning trophy's while Chad and I drive them crazy." Troy grinned and removed his daughter from her viewing place.

"What did your dad say when you told him last night?" Gabriella asked, taking Olivia's hand and following Taylor down to the court floor.

"He laughed. And then he said that at least it would end the feud between the drama department and the athletic coaches. The he laughed some more. I think he's happy." Troy rolled his eyes as Sharpay smirked.

Gabriella smiled, knowing that Troy still resented the fact that Sharpay had been right about him enjoying the position formerly held by their drama teacher. He had given in and accepted the position in November after the school board called and told him they had received reference letters from numerous credible sources. Namely, Miss Darbus, UCLA and both of the Evans twins. Plus, he had become bored always being home with Olivia and occasionally helping Chad out with his advertising campaigns at the office.

Despite his love of basketball, Gabriella knew that Troy always found himself in the theatre when he needed to think. It was fate of being a wildcat to do what most least expected.

* * *

**June 15, 2019**

**San Francisco, California**

Ryan tossed his jacket over the kitchen table and set the box of CDs beside it before grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. Pulling out a frying pan from the cupboard and turning on the stove, he leaned away for a moment to push the button for speakerphone and then entered the code for retrieving his voicemail. As he chopped up vegetables for the stir-fry, he listened to his messages.

_Evans, it's Rick at the studio in Boston. I have those new tracks you were looking for. If you could give them a listen when they arrive at your studio and then come up with some ideas for the next video that would be great. We were really impressed with the New Mexico gig last fall. Call me._

Beep.

_Ryan, it's Sharpay. Zeke is doing this cooking demonstration to promote the new restaurant as the beginning of a chain or franchise or something technical. Anyway, he's doing it at the trade center in your end of the country and he hates hotels. Can you put him up for a couple of nights? I may come with him. Depends. Let me know._

Beep.

_Hey Ry. It's me. You said last week that you are checking out space in LA and I need a favour. Jim up at the Laker office has two jerseys with Troy's old number on the back in infant size that I ordered for the babies. I want it to be a surprise so if you could pick them up and ship them to Sharpay's, I'll pay you back. Thanks!_

Beep.

_Ryan, it's Kelsi. When you get this, call me ASAP. I got a call at the apartment last night from the San Francisco Ballet Academy to take their open position of contemporary ballet composer for some new program they're launching. My Juilliard contract finishes in September so I'm thinking of taking it but I want to run it by you first. Call me. Oh and call Jason. He called last night about studio wiring for hidden speakers and I knew you just installed some. _

Beep.

_Evans, it's Danforth. Troy is freaking out about this whole twin-two-babies-at-once thing. Gabriella sent him to my place but it didn't work. Can you call him and straighten him out? That would be great. Have fun._

Beep.

_End of messages_.

Ryan rubbed a hand over his face and tried not to laugh. Ever since reuniting last fall with his friends, things had become crazy. His phone bill had gone through the roof and he frequently took jobs that required him to travel depending on the state. He and Kelsi had discussed collaborating on some projects which would be interesting if she was moving to California.

Oh, and the idea of Gabriella and Troy having twins was hysterical. Ryan had almost dropped the phone on that one.

* * *

**December 7, 2019**

**Albuquerque Memorial Hospital, Albuquerque**

Chad tapped the wall beside his head as he waited for someone to pick up the phone at Ryan's apartment. Across the room, Taylor was having a conversation with Jason who was away on a job in Farmington after being transferred back from South Carolina two months ago. He was now on the design committee for the company. Chad could hear Sharpay's heels clicking on the floor as she paced and talked to Zeke who was watching the Danforth boys while their parents were at the hospital. He straightened when the voicemail picked up.

_Hey, you've reached Ryan and Kelsi. We can't answer the phone right now, but listen to the following options and choose accordingly. If you are calling for anything studio related, call the office phone. If you are calling for anything related to the wedding, call Kelsi's cell phone. If you are calling to tell us that Gabriella had her baby boys, call Ryan's cell repeatedly until someone answers. If all else fails, leave a message and we'll decide if you're important._

Chad growled and hung up, dialling the cell phone number while hoping they wouldn't care about it being 4am in the morning. A few rings and then someone answered groggily.

"Yeah?"

"Neilsen? It's Daforth."

"Chad, it's like…uhh…..early," Kelsi groaned from the other end.

"Tell that to the Boltons," he retorted and Kelsi squealed.

"Ry, wake up! Gabriella had the boys." Chad could hear Ryan's voice and then Kelsi returned.

"Thanks for the call. Tell her to call when she feels up to it and we'll plan to come down. "

Chad hung up and turned to Sharpay who was standing behind him. They had gotten back to their weird relationship that had ended when Chad left for Yale and now she raised an eyebrow at Chad's questioning look.

"Do you not trust my fiancée? You're children are alive, don't worry. I would be afraid of them killing him, not the other way around." Chad didn't bother to correct her and say that that had been his fear in the first place.

* * *

**September 23, 2020**

_**All That Glitters**_**, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Sharpay flopped into her office chair and groaned into her hands. Troy had to pick a musicale as complicated as West Side Story for East High to perform. And he just had to catch chicken pox from Olivia. Who catches chicken pox at the age of 30? Seriously. And Sharpay just had to come to the school's rescue and help Gabriella who just had to juggle home, scholastic decathlon coaching and helping the drama department.

Life was less complicated in high school when all Sharpay had to do was plot how to get Troy and everyone else plotted how to stay out of her way, she told herself as she shifted through the messages gathered by the receptionist downstairs.

~Juliana Maretti called to say she is available to run the advanced ballet workshop in January. Call her back to pick dates. ~

~Maddie called to say she can't teach the preschool class next week because you scheduled extra rehearsal. She said to call and bother Sara.~

~Zeke called and said to meet him at the restaurant to dinner tonight so you can complain about your day. He said he has to news to cheer you up.~

~Ryan called to say remind you to double check your flight tickets for the wedding next weekend. He also said to relax and then call Kelsi who is freaking out about shoes or something.~

~Gabriella called and said Olivia will be back at dance class on Saturday and could you drive her home afterwards?~

Sharpay tossed the messages on her desk again and groaned. She needed to hire an assistant.

* * *

**April 14, 2021**

_**Cesario's**_**, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Taylor leaned back against the sink in the ladies bathroom of the restaurant as she listened to the party taking place in the main area. Zeke had gotten approval to open another restaurant forty miles west in the next town and they were celebrating. Well, everyone but the three girls in the bathroom. Gabriella rolled her eyes as they listened to Sharpay talk to herself in the toilet stall.

"Shar, you almost done?" Taylor called, slightly hesitant.

"Did you start the timer?" Sharpay asked as she reached under the door and handed Gabriella the white stick as Gabriella handed her another one.

"Yes, but hon, we did this twice this afternoon and they were both positive." Taylor shook her head, trying to get Gabriella to stop talking.

"I can not be pregnant. It just can't happen. That's why people take the pill. Right? Girls?"

"Shar, where do you think Austen came from? The stork? You were there for that meltdown."

"But, he hasn't even proposed. I have two shows to put together, my students are auditioning for the theatre's next three production….." Sharpay stopped talking as she walked out of the stall and looked at her friends who were trying not to smile.

"Welcome to motherhood, superstar," Gabriella said, handing her two pink sticks.

"He better be happy or I will kill him."

Some people never changed.

* * *

**November 30, 2021**

**Albuquerque Memorial Hospital, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Troy punched in the number as he rested his head against the wall of the waiting room. Hearing Jason's voice answer, Troy gave him the news.

"Hey, Dude, I'm on phone duty. Sharpay had a girl. They're naming her Giselle and the kid has more hair than any natural child should have."

Jason started laughing so hard that Troy hung up on him.

* * *

**May 26, 2022**

**Baylor Residence, Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Sharpay held a screaming Giselle while she tried to find the soother she had tossed in her purse earlier. In the background, she heard the phone ring but let it go to voicemail as she tried to calm her daughter. She loved her more than anything in the world, but trying to plan a production and a wedding while Zeke ran three restaurants from downtown, was starting to wear on all of them. When Giselle had finally calmed down and smiled at her mother, Sharpay made her way to the kitchen and pushed the button for the missed call.

Hey, Sis. Hope everything is cool and Elle's over that teething thing. Anyway, we have news. We're moving home to Albuquerque. Kelsi wants your assistant job at the studio and can freelance from home. I already talked to my clients and I'm moving into the office building Jason's building in downtown East Heights. Anyways, call me back.

Sharpay, hung up and smiled. Hearing the front door open and close, she turned as her fiancée entered the room. He gave her an odd look at how big her smile was.

"Ryan is moving home. Kelsi is going to help run the studio."

"Oh, thank God," Zeke exclaimed.

**

* * *

**

**August 21, 2023**

**Albuquerque Theatre, East Side, Albuquerque**

Troy didn't know if he should smile, applaud or cringe in horror as he watched his daughter prance across the stage for the intermediate level dance group from Sharpay's studio. Dressed all in pink, with a sparkling tiara and pink tap shoes, the only thing reminding Troy that his child was not Sharpay's was the fact that she was the spitting image of Gabriella. Looking at his wife, he found her mouth open and her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Why did she have to pick that song?"

"Why does she look like a disco ball?"

"I thought Ryan said he would get her to tone it down."

"I thought Kelsi had made her pick something other than '_I want it all'_ for this show."

"Why couldn't she use Ryan's moves from our musical?"

"Why is everything pink?"

Chad bit his lip and looked over at the two parents who were trying to figure out when their daughter had become an eight-year-old Broadway showgirl. He almost laughed when Olivia did a saucy little spin on the stage but held it in when Troy glared at him.

"Troy, we have a problem."

"She's your friend," Troy pointed out, wondering if it was too late to convince his little girl that basketball was still an option.

"Oh, my God, she's going to want a pink convertible," Gabriella gasped and Taylor lost all control over the giggles.

"No way in hell," Troy hissed as Olivia bowed and winked at the crowd.

Since when did she know how to wink?

* * *

**January 21, 2024**

**East High, Albuquerque**

Gabriella sighed at the blank faces looking at her from their desks.

"Anyone? The equation on the board? A hint? A suggestion?" She looked around and her gaze fell on one her advanced students. "Hayley? Try it for us?"

"Oh, sorry, what?" the girl asked, tearing her eyes from the clock.

"Oh, never mind. Put your stuff together and head to the gym. No one can think of anything but the championships anyway." Gabriella grinned at the applause her decision earned her. "Now go before I change my mind."

"Come on, Mrs. Bolton. You have to be excited. This would be our sixth championship in a row!" Jayden Hamilton called as he ran by.

"Don't I know it," Gabriella muttered, hearing the student say the same thing Troy had been muttering to himself all day.

Some things never changed no matter what else did.

* * *

**December 4, 2026**

**West High, Albuquerque**

Taylor Danforth grinned as she watched Troy and Chad high five each other as East High scored another point. If they won tonight, East High would be playing for their ninth championship in a row, but Taylor's happiness was focused on the red and white clad figure bouncing the ball at the foul line.

Raising his hands over his head, Austen Danforth watched the ball arc and swish through the net. Looking across the court, he gave his dad and Troy a thumbs up and turned to the crowd.

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"Wildcats!"

"Getcha head in the game!"

Taylor grinned as her son screamed the words she had heard so often heard from Chad during their high school years. As he turned away from the crowd, so his back was to her, Taylor couldn't help but notice the resemblance between her son and Chad when they were on the court. Even the jersey was the same after Chad and Troy had retrieved it from the gym wall where Jack Bolton had retired it when Chad had signed with the NBA.

"Game on!" Chad yelled from the bench.

Taylor wished she could pause time or rewind because these days, things went way too fast.

* * *

AN: So that's it. It's short and sweet...or I hope sweet....But now that I have it out of my system, I can tell you Im working on something more substantial and hopefully unique. You'll know when it goes up!

-Savannah


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